Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on those sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
BT to buy EE
Fourteen years after selling its mobile business, BT is back in a big way – the carrier has agreed to purchase EE for $19 billion. BT currently offers wireless service through a mobile virtual network operator agreement with EE. BT will buy the EE shares owned by Deutsche Telekom and Orange. Those investors will receive a combination of cash and shares in BT. Once the deal closes, DT will own 12% of BT, and Orange will own 4%. EE is the largest mobile operator in the U.K., with 24.5 million customers and almost 8 million LTE subscribers. The company was formed in 2010 as a joint venture between DT and Orange. For BT, the deal will add the U.K.’s largest base of mobile subscribers to its existing customer base of landline subscribers. BT also offers broadband Internet and TV services. The deal makes BT the largest provider of both mobile and landline telecom service in the U.K. … Read more
The ‘year of wearables’ at CES
It’s no secret that this was the year of the wearables and “Internet of Things” at CES. From new smartwatches, to baby monitoring teddy bears, app-controlled hearing aids and smart collars for Fido; it seems that everyone’s trying to take a bite out of the connected cookie. But several questions remain unanswered: When will these products be brought to market? Where can we buy them? Do they work with my iPhone or Android device? The simple answers are: not soon enough; not enough places; and possibly. Selling smartwatches and other devices isn’t a problem. They’ll move fast. In fact, sales are expected to grow 61% this year. The problem is getting people to keep using them. The chances are that consumers will use their device for a short period of time, but quickly become frustrated by battery life, speed of connectivity and signal loss. Be it a Wi-Fi-, Bluetooth-, LTE- or 4G-connected device, every manufacturer has to prove long-term performance value if they want continued usage and happy customers. When it comes to wearables and IoT, it seems that many consumers might not even know the right questions to ask. They shouldn’t just be about availability, price or compatibility; rather the customer should inquire about performance, value and usability. … Read more
Sprint buys stores as RadioShack declares bankruptcy
Sprint is swooping into more than 1,500 stores owned by RadioShack, which filed for bankruptcy this week. The carrier will set up shop in those RadioShack locations and plans to turn them into co-branded Sprint/RadioShack stores. Sprint said it will occupy roughly one-third of each store, selling mobile devices and service plans, as well as RadioShack products, services and accessories. The deal will more than double Sprint’s retail presence. The carrier currently owns about 1,100 stores. Sprint said its brand will be dominant in the RadioShack stores it occupies if the deal is completed as planned. Sprint employees will sell mobile devices and wireless service plans for Sprint, Boost and Virgin Mobile. Sprint should benefit from the new storefronts as it encourages customers and potential customers to trade in their smartphones in order to take advantage of its promotions. The carrier shares a parent company (Softbank) with Brightstar, a leading distributor of mobile devices. An expanding retail footprint could leverage this relationship because the Radio Shack storefronts will make it easier to reach more people, and the Brightstar connection will expedite recycling and repurposing of the used phones. … Read more
Carriers turn to tablets to draw customers
Sprint and T-Mobile US are both looking to tablets to win new subscribers and encourage existing customers to upgrade. Sprint is offering an iPad Mini 3 with 2GB of data in tandem with the iPhone 6 with unlimited talk, text and data. The plan comes with no activation fees and users will pay just $100 per month to lease both devices. Sprint said pairing the devices and service plans will save users $200 a year when compared to the cost of leasing the devices separately. T-Mobile US is bringing back its “tablet on us” promotion, starting Feb. 12. Customers who sign up for a qualifying data plan will get a free Android Alcatel OneTouch Pop 7 tablet for no money down. T-Mobile US is pushing the offer this week in hopes that the free tablets will replace candy boxes and flowers as Valentine’s Day gifts. The tablet market has slowed somewhat, with Gartner projecting an 8% growth rate for this year. But in developed markets that are approaching smartphone saturation, tablets represent an important opportunity for carriers. … Read more
ZTE tests VoLTE with China Mobile
As carriers around the world work to commercially deploy voice over LTE on a large scale, ZTE on Feb. 9 announced successful completion of VoLTE testing for industry giant China Mobile. ZTE, which provides telecom equipment and network solutions, used its IP Multimedia Subsystem to demonstrate VoLTE capacity, voice quality and continuity. The company said it’s the “first vendor to successfully complete China Mobile’s large capacity VoLTE tests. ZTE’s IMS … solutions deployed in the China Mobile test delivered robust and stable network performance, fully fulfilling customer requirements.” Other features tested by ZTE include network function, service function and performance tests. … Read more
The carrier horse race, as of early 2015
Nationwide mobile networks are being improved by carriers and resulting in improved customer experience, according to test and measurement firm Rootmetrics, which picks Verizon as the best carrier in the United States. Rootmetrics released its “U.S. Mobile Network Performance Review” for the second half of 2014 on Feb. 10. In terms of network performance, Verizon Wireless dominated in across-the-board metrics nationwide, on a state level and in the 125 metropolitan areas survey by Rootmetrics. AT&T Mobility came in second place in those same categories. Report author Patrick Linder noted that T-Mobile US and Sprint made big steps toward improving data speed and reliability in the last half of 2014. “The biggest improvement stories belong to T-Mobile and, especially, Sprint with its marked call improvement,” Linder wrote. “Although T-Mobile finished lower in our national results,” he continued, “it recorded the third most awards at the metro level and remained ahead of Sprint at this level of our testing. The upgrades from these two networks are clearly starting to take hold and are impacting performance, in particular, at the metro level.” … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
